Google replaces Android Market with ‘Google Play’

Say goodbye to the Android Market. Google has officially rebranded the storefront today as they unveiled Google Play, the all-in-one destination for apps, books, and movies. A post on the Android Developers blog tells us that we’ll soon be getting updates on our 2.2+ handsets which will replace the Android Market app with Google Play. In essence nothing changes for the seasoned Android user, and the experience will remain untouched. Head to market.android.com and watch as you’re already redirected to the new website with a familiar layout.

We’ll be rolling out Google Play to devices in a phased OTA update, starting today and continuing over the days to come. With the update, the Android Market app will upgrade to the Play Store app and the Music, Videos, and Books apps will upgrade to Play Music, Play Movies, and Play Books. This update is for devices running Android 2.2 or higher, and users on other devices will continue to have the same access to your apps as before.

Although it gets rid of the “Android” aspect of the Market, we applaud the decision to go less platform-centric for content. “Get it on Google Play” rolls off the tongue and will help push a larger agenda forward for Google. It also makes sense if we consider that Google has a hardware device up their sleeves as it should play music and/or other media.

In addition to smartphones and mobile gadgets, Scott has a deep appreciation for film, music, and sunflower seeds. A husband and father, he likes spending down time riding his mountain bike or binge-watching TV. Scott has overseen the day-to-day activities of AndroidGuys since 2007.